Description:
Pandanus is a
wide-branched tree that grows up to heights of about 8 m (25 ft). The
trunk has aerial prop roots and long leaves up to 3 m (10 ft) in length
with serrated margins (thorny leaf edges). The large edible fruit of
bōb is an aggregate of many angular, wedge-shaped sections or
"keys" that turn orange as they mature. This very important wild
growing and cultivated tree is sometimes referred to as the
"screwpine," because of the twisted form in which the leaves are
produced at the end of the branches and the general resemblance of the
many-sectioned fruit to a large pine cone.

Distribution:
Although this species may be indigenous to the Marshall Islands,
early Marshallese probably brought some important cultivated varieties of
this very useful plant with them. Indeed, the first bōb tree is said
to have grown on Madmad Island, Namdik. Over countless generations of
cultivation, selection of preferred tree types for propagation has
produced many varieties of bōb, including those with extremely large
fruits. Although there are more than one hundred named varieties that have
been recorded in the Marshall Islands, some of these may now be
extinct(lost forever).

Uses: Bōb is one of only a few important edible species found
in the atoll and reef island environment. It has been a very important
plant in Marshallese society for thousands of years. People have been
reproducing bōb by planting cuttings (asexual reproduction) for many
generations.

Traditionally, many people made preserved bōb paste, called
mokwan, or jāānkun, when the fruit was in season. They could eat
this is times of famine and sailors could take it on long voyages.
Recently people have become interested in making and selling mokwan, which
would have health and economic benefits. You can read about more about
making mokwan in Marshallese or English.

Besides serving as a food, the fibrous fruit helps clean the teeth, acting
as a natural dental floss. The long leaves furnish fiber for mats, hats,
baskets, and other items. In addition, leaves of ni (coconut palm) and
wūnmaañ varieties of bōb are used to thatch traditional
houses. In the past, canoe sails were plaited from the leaves.

In ancient times, men and women wore rolled-up Pandanus leaves in
their pierced earlobes. For men the roll was 7-10 cm (3-4 in) in diameter,
but it was smaller for women. Chamisso, a French artist and botanist, was
among the first European visitors to come to the Marshall Islands in the
early 19th century. He wrote that these rolled leaves worn in the earlobes
sometimes were covered with a "delicate tortoise-shell lamina." According
to Chamisso, a bunch of Pandanus leaves was tied around a ripening
fruit as a symbol of possession to discourage anyone else from harvesting
it. The tips of the aerial roots of Pandanus trees are used in
traditional medicine.

Girls wearing Pandanus woven skirts.

Making thatch from
Pandanus for a canoe
house (photo by Julie Walsh Kroeker)